The Nesamony Nagar police have registered a case under five Sections of the Indian Penal Code against four Opposition MLAs from the Kanniyakumari district on charges of unleashing terror inside a government office and abusing and threatening the officials, including women employees of the Office of Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies, on Wednesday.
Alleging “irregularities” in the first phase of the cooperative society polls, Congress MLAs J.G. Prince (Colachel), Rajesh Kumar (Killiyoor) and S. Vijayadharani (Vilavancode) and DMK MLAs T. Mano Thangaraj (Padmanabhapuram), N. Suresh Rajan (Nagercoil) and S. Austin (Kanniyakumari) barged into the office of the Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies around 10.45 a.m. on Wednesday. Four of them verbally abused P. Nadukaattu Raja, Joint Registrar of Cooperative Societies and Returning Officer, for not rising from his chair to receive them.
While Ms. Vijayadharani was silently occupying one of the chairs in front of the officer and witnessing the ruckus happening, Mr. Austin was pacifying the highly agitated MLAs, especially Mr. Prince and Mr. Suresh Rajan, who were yelling at the Joint Registrar.
Even as ruckus was going on, their supporters assaulted office assistant Subhash, who is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital at Aasaaripallam for the injuries sustained. A few furniture, water bottles and lights were also damaged in the commotion.
‘Preventing my duty’
“As I am the Returning Officer (of the cooperative polls) now, I need not rise from my chair to receive anyone barging into my office without permission. Since they prevented me from discharging my duty, created panic by damaging government property, abused every government servant present in this office and assaulted one of my subordinates, I preferred a complaint with the police. I have also formally updated my higher-ups,” Mr. Nadukaattu Raja told The Hindu .
Some of the officials present in the office alleged that some of the MLAs abused the Dalit officer by referring to his caste.
“So the police should register a separate case under the provisions of SC / ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against the MLAs who abused the Joint Registrar. We will prove all these charges against the MLAs in the court with clippings that have gone viral on social media,” said a subordinate official.
“Those who behaved in unruly manner office should be arrested,” he added.
Based on a complaint lodged by the Joint Registrar, the police on Wednesday night registered case against Mr. Prince, Mr. Suresh Rajan, Mr. Mano Thangaraj and Mr. Rajesh Kumar and some of their supporters under Sections 147 (rioting), 294 (b) (using abusive language), 332 (voluntarily causing hurt to deter public servant from his duty), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharging duty) and 506(i) (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
They were also booked under Section 4(i) of the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Women Harassment Act for using abusive language and harassing women staff and Section 3(i) of the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Public Property Damages and Loss Act for allegedly damaging property at the Office of the Joint Registrar.
Since Mr. Nadukkaattu Raja has also mentioned in his complaint that the MLAs had abused him verbally by referring to his caste, the police are likely to register case against the MLAs under the provisions of SC / ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act after an officer in the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police probes the veracity of the charge.
